Unfortunately a rather doltish member of our society once asked me this question, and while it was quite ludicrous, I have been giving thought to Brazilian universities and the possibility of teaching in one of them. I have read a lot about language schools, but I have finished my M.Ed in Postsecondary TESOL, and would like to move onto the tertiary level, and am interested in Brazil, particularly Sao Paulo and Rio. If you could be of any help I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Greetings,
As with most north americans, you are apparently quite ignorant when it comes to Brazilian society and culture. Much to almost everyone's surprise, Brazil is more than monkeys playing soccer and dancing to samba music in the jungle! I don't mean this as an insult. I too suffered from this affliction prior to living here.

Let me introduce myself....My name is Daniel. I'm a Canadian expatriate currently living in Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, in the south eastern region of Brazil.

First thing, if you are even considering applying to work at a Brazilian university, you had better be fluent in portuguese and be willing to pay for your own visas. That said, you may be able to find some sort of exchange program for prof's who wish to both teach english and study portuguese. I have met several students here from both Canada and the US who are on this type of exchange. This would be your best bet as you would be eligible for and extended visa and it would give you a chance to learn portuguese and experience the Brazilian culture without making a huge commitment.

As far as location, I would recommend Belo Horizonte over Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. BHZ has the highest standard of living in Latin America (that ranks it about #100 amongst the world's cities)....that may not sound like much, but the crime rate and corruption amongst the local authorities are magnitudes lower than in the 2 aforementioned cities. However, if you want to live on the coast, check out Salvador or Fortaleza. Rio is a nice place to visit, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to live there.

My experience here has changed my life. I originally moved to Brazil on a contract with a geochemical/environmental laboratory. When my contract ended, the Canadian company I worked for asked me to return to Canada and work there. I told them that I wanted to stay in Brazil, so I quit....now I teach english, and I'm loving it. Granted, I would prefer to earn CDN or US $'s, but regardless, I have never been happier.

Anyways....regardless of what you choose, I'm sure you will fall in love with Brazil.